


Bruises

by burntotears



Series: Malec Prompts [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Healing, Hurt Magnus Bane, M/M, Season/Series 02 Spoilers, post 2x13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-17 01:06:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11264778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burntotears/pseuds/burntotears
Summary: "I want to take care of you,” Alec whispered, nearly inaudible.





	Bruises

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: “I want to take care of you” 
> 
> Drop me some prompts [over at my tumblr](http://burntotears.tumblr.com)

“I want to take care of you,” Alec whispered, nearly inaudible. The way that Magnus stiffened within the circle of Alec’s arms affirmed that he’d heard the statement plainly enough. Alec tried to pretend that it didn’t pull at his heart, make his chest tighten with sadness. Truth be told, Alec was a terrible actor. No wonder Magnus had read him like an open book when they’d first met.

“I know that,” Magnus finally said slowly, carefully weighing each word as he spoke it. He was worried about what he was saying, which meant he was worried about tripping Alec’s insecurities. “I just… need time.” 

Alec pulled back so he could see Magnus’ face; see the raw damage beneath the layers of makeup. Magnus was a lot better than Alec at hiding his feelings, though, and all he saw was a tight-lipped smile. “I feel helpless,” Alec confessed, eyes searching out something, _anything_ to latch on to. “I feel like I broke this before it even started.” He gestured a hand between them.

The slight uptick of Magnus’ lips was gone, leaving a straight line and an unfathomable depth of emotion behind his eyes. Alec could spend his entire lifetime delving into that gaze and not even scratch the surface of what made up Magnus Bane. It was fascinating and frustrating all at once. “It’s not broken, Alexander, just a little… bruised.”

Alec chewed the inside of his cheek, thoughtful for a few moments. “What color is it?” popped out of his mouth before he even realized he was thinking it. Maybe Magnus couldn’t let him in just yet, but at least he could get an idea of how far they had to go.

“What?” Confusion wrote itself across the warlock’s face.

“The bruise. What color is the bruise?”

“Well I was being metaphoric-”

Alec shook his head quickly in frustration, talking over him. “Yeah, I know, but if the metaphoric bruise was an actual bruise, what would it look like right now?”

Magnus considered the question, drawing out an uncomfortable silence that had Alec shifting his weight from one foot to another. Finally he said, “If you want me to be literal, then I’d say a dark purple.” He waited, studying Alec’s face with a resolution of calm that buried the turmoil deep beneath the surface.

A small bubble of hope pushed against Alec’s ribcage. If there was anything Alec knew from years of training, it was bruises. The first stage was always red - a pool of blood beneath the surface of the skin. The second stage was purple and blue. The _second_ stage. So it wasn’t as hopeless as he’d thought. 

He smiled faintly, nodding at Magnus’ answer. “Yeah. Yeah, okay. Purple. Yeah. I can… we can heal that. Of course we can. It might take some time, sure...” He nodded again as he trailed off. 

Magnus placed a hand on Alec’s chest, smiling fondly. It was a real Magnus smile, a rarity in the last week, but Alec knew it when he saw it. “I think you’re right. It will heal just fine with some time and effort.”

Alec smiled genuinely now, hands pulling Magnus into a hug. “I am all for effort.”

The last earned him a kiss and Alec felt a little better, like a bruise that was starting to fade, a light green tint hiding just below the surface.


End file.
